KEYs to Revitalization (Revitalization Series)

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Key

Dr. Gary L. McIntosh published an excellent book aimed at Church Revitalization called There’s Hope for Your Church. In the book, he examines the irreplaceable role that pastoral leadership plays when it comes to church revitalization. I agree with Dr. McIntosh when he says….

“In order for a church to be revitalized, the pastor is the key!”

2 Keys to Revitalization

1. Leadership. In chapter two, McIntosh discusses consultant Ken Priddy’s belief that two types of pastors exist: a revitalization pastor and a revitalization leader. A revitalization pastor sees the church as his client while the revitalization leader sees God as his client. A revitalization pastor views himself as an employee of the church while a revitalization leader sees himself as being called by God to lead the church where God wants it to go. Revitalization leaders expect to encounter resistance and are willing to lead without affirmation and often with pain.

“For churches to transition into a new era of ministry, courageous, godly leadership is paramount.”  Terry Walling

2. Longevity. One of the main reasons most pastors are not successful in bringing about revitalization is that they simply don’t stay long enough. The average tenure of a senior or solo pastor in the United States is 3.8 years. McIntosh says that it takes 5-7 years to revitalize a church in the city and 10-12 years to revitalize a rural church. The bottom line is that revitalization leaders stay!

The average tenure of a senior or solo pastor in the United States is 3.8 years . . . The bottom line is that revitalization leaders stay!

McIntosh warns that it is possible for a pastor to stay too long. In his experience, if the church has not experienced revitalization within 10-12 years of the pastor’s tenure, it is not going to happen. Although there are exceptions, the average pastor’s ministry tends to lose momentum after 10 years. After 10 years, the original vision the pastor had for the church has most likely been accomplished, and then the church flounders, searching for a new direction. Some pastors are able to re-envision their life and ministry for another 10 years in the same church, but some cannot and find it best to move to another ministry.

Baby Steps (Revitalization Series)

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When do you prepare your home nursery? Before the baby comes or after the baby comes? Practically everyone prepares the nursery BEFORE the baby comes. Many struggling churches have no young parents attending, so the nursery sits unused. That is actually the perfect time to update the nursery facilities. If you wait until a young family visits, then it’s too late! Their baby arrives and you’re not ready!

Ingredients of a Great Church Nursery

  1. Clean. The nursery MUST be clean. Parents are already reluctant to leave their precious child behind while they attend worship–they certainly will not do so if the nursery is not clean. That means the nursery must not only look clean, it must smell clean. Many churches need to pull up old carpet and replace it with a surface that is easy to keep clean.
  2. Safe. The nursery MUST be safe. Churches should have a secure check-in system for every child even if there are only 1 or 2 attending. Parents will spread the word to others that the church gives priority to safety and security. Workers should be carefully vetted with background checks and other safety measures. There should always be at least two workers in the nursery at all times.
  3. Proximity. If possible, the nursery should be close to the place where the parents attend worship. Parents will feel more comfortable leaving their baby in the nursery if the sanctuary is nearby. Many churches use a texting app to communicate with parents if they need to be reached during the worship service.
  4. Modern. Modern does not have to be expensive; it simply has to be up-to-date. Modernizing the nursery can often be accomplished with flooring, furnishings, paint, and lighting. The space should be bright and cozy. When thinking about the décor, parents want it to feel like their nursery at home.
  5. Supplied. The nursery should be well-supplied with safe furniture, a diaper-changing station, handwashing supplies, age-appropriate toys, and parent-approved snacks.
  6. Staff. Put your BEST people in the nursery. Recruit people who love children and love Jesus. Provide training so they are able to serve with excellence. The Kentucky Baptist Convention can provide training.

For more information about church revitalization, the KBC has written Lead to Revitalize: 15 Practices of a Revitalization Leader. Feel free to contact me directly at steve.rice@kybaptist.org if you have questions or need assistance.

Be Prepared

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We are taking the lead at the Kentucky Baptist Convention in addressing the issue of church sexual abuse. The KBC has partnered with an organization called MinistrySafe to provide training sessions we are calling “Church Prepared: Sexual Abuse Prevention, Response, and Care.”

I encourage every pastor and church to be involved. The training will especially benefit the following:

  • Pastors
  • Other Church staff
  • Security Team members
  • Deacons
  • Elders
  • Children’s Workers
  • Student Workers
  • Sunday School Workers
  • Women’s Ministry
  • Men’s Ministry

The training sessions will be held at four locations across the state October 3-6, 2022. The schedule is as follows:

October 3 – Lone Oak First Baptist Church, Paducah

October 4 – Living Hope BC, Bowling Green

October 5 – Buck Run BC, Frankfort

October 6 – Fairview BC, Ashland

Registration
Here is the link to the registration page: https://www.kybaptist.org/churchprepared/. Please let me know if you have any questions or need more information.

5 Promises to My Church

Posted in Church Chat, Church Consulting, Church Revitalization, Conflict, Deacon, Leadership, Life Happens, Ministry, Preaching3 Comments

I love to please people!  All my life, I have wanted people to like me, affirm me, and generally think that I’m wonderful.  As I have matured as a leader and as a pastor, I’ve discovered that I have to sometimes set those desires aside and do the right thing regardless of what other’s think.  My goal MUST NOT be to simply “please people” — my goal must be to help people and please God.  Sometimes I have to set boundaries and tell people “no” in order to help them.  Other times I have to model a new approach and lead people to walk in a more effective, efficient manner.

Sometimes I have to set boundaries and tell people “no” in order to help them.

Everyone seems to have their idea of what their pastor should do and how he should use his time.  Hardly a week goes by, that someone does not pull them aside and share with them their opinion of what their life’s assignment should be.  Most of the time, the assignment is fair and reasonable, but it almost always matches their own personal preferences and desires instead of the desires of the Lord or their pastor.  As the senior pastor, he MUST consider the big picture and keep the entire church body in mind as he leads.  If he simply jumps from personal assignment to personal assignment, he will not lead with vision and God-given direction.

Here are the 5 promises I made to a church during my first sermon as their senior pastor:

  1. I promise to love God.  In order to fulfill this promise, I must be disciplined in my private time with the Lord.  The man who never spends time with God in private is no good in public.
  2. I promise to love my family.  I love to work hard and I love being a pastor (most the time).  Because of this, I have to guard against neglecting my family.  I have asked other staff members to tell me if they see this in my life and I have pledged to tell them if I see it in their lives.
  3. I promise to love you.  I love our church and all our people.  I look forward to serving our Lord together for many years to come.  Keep in mind that all of our pastors love God and love our people as well.
  4. I promise to love the unchurched.  I want to see people come to Christ.  I need to spend more time around lost people.  I need to get out of the office more and into the community.
  5. I promise to preach the Bible.  I have tried my best to focus on God’s Word in my sermons and in my teaching.  It takes time to prepare true, Biblical sermons, but it is worth all the hard work and extra effort.  Currently, I set aside Tuesday and Wednesday as my main study days.  Occasionally, I will schedule an appointment or meeting on those days, but I try to devote those days to preparation for preaching and teaching the Bible.

I also went on to say the following to them:

As we move forward, I pledge to always be open to suggestions and ideas.  My default of wanting to please people will always be there, I’m sure.  But, I promise when I’m faced with the choice of “simply pleasing someone” or “providing Godly leadership,” I will strive to choose providing Godly leadership every time.

If you are a pastor, hang in there! God is good and worthy of our service. If you are a church member, pray for your pastor. Encourage him. Be a blessing and serve God faithfully!

4 Life Lessons from Hiking

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Funny, Hiking, Life Happens, Ministry, Uncategorized3 Comments

The last few years, Laura and I have become interested in hiking. We don’t plan to thru-hike the Appalachian or the Pacific Crest trail anytime soon–we mainly focus on day hiking. As a result, we enjoy the trail with very little planning and minimal cost. I’ve noticed that there are a lot of similarities between hiking and everyday life.

4 Hiking Lessons

1. Good equipment helps. Good hiking shoes, trekking poles, and backpacks make hiking more enjoyable and hikers more proficient. Likewise equipping ourselves as pastors, disciples, church members, and/or parents makes all the difference. We don’t know what we don’t know, so it helps to be equipped with new knowledge and abilities.

“We don’t know what we don’t know…”

2. Sometimes you hike uphill. We love trails that have lots of climbing. We seek them out when we plan. It’s great exercise to make your way up a long, challenging climb. It’s so rewarding when you reach the top. Life often seems like a long, challenging climb. Christians are not exempt from difficulty. Those difficult life moments often shape us into better people and mold us into more dedicated Christians.

3. Sometimes you hike downhill. Trails that go up eventually come down. Going downhill is easier, but not without challenge. You can easily lose your footing because you are moving faster and with little resistance. Going downhill can lead to a lack of concentration and focus which usually ends poorly. Life is a lot like going downhill. When things are going well and success seems easy we often make quick and uninformed decisions that cause us to fall. “Downhill” makes us feel invincible which leads to decisions laced with arrogance. Solomon warned us that “Pride comes before destruction and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18, HCSB).

“Downhill makes us feel invincible which leads to decisions laced with arrogance.”

4. You can do more than you think. Now that we are hikers, we’ve climbed hills we never imagined that we could. Slowly, steadily, step after step–eventually we reach the top! I’ve watched several YouTube channels of men and women who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. When they finished the 2,181-mile trek, they were amazed they covered the entire distance on foot. One guy said, “It blows my mind to think that I just walked from Georgia to Maine!” We should dream big and shoot high in life and in Christ! Through Him and over time we can do more than we could ever imagine (Phil 4:13).